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Facebook has boasted it helped the Scottish National Party "achieve an overwhelming victory" in the 2015 general election after it emerged the firm has set up an obscure "government and politics team" to help political parties with campaigns.

A former senior employee also warned that "it's not Facebook's job" to become close to any election campaign, as it was revealed that the company is now providing direct support to political parties around the world.

A dedicated page on the site singles out the SNP's 2015 electoral gain as a major "success story", with a 1,000 word description of the party's use of Facebook punctuated with headlines including "the pride of Scotland" and "triggering a landslide". ...